1. Field of the Invention
Some embodiments disclosed herein may relate to orthodontics and, more particularly, to dental alignment devices that support the use of pontics.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Dental alignment devices provide a means for realigning teeth without the need for braces, which are universally seen as unaesthetic and inconvenient. Part of the aesthetic appeal of dental alignment devices is their transparency. While this feature is certainly considered desirable, it presents a problem to patients who are either missing a tooth or have had a tooth extracted in a dental procedure, who may understandably not want to have an unsightly gap in their dentition made visible.
To address this issue, the use of pontics in dental alignment devices has been created. Pontics are hardened materials that fill a gap in a dental alignment device and are colored to resemble a tooth. While the current use of pontics may in some cases adequately address the aesthetic issue of a missing tooth, it unfortunately introduces other unwanted issues.
The material currently used to create pontics can easily become brittle and then break and/or fall out of the gap, causing a severe inconvenience and even potential danger to a patient. Because of the hassles of creating a pontic matching a shade guide color, stocking the materials and avoiding the potential of the pontic falling out, some practitioners color in the pontic space with potentially toxic chemicals such as colored nail polish, or a similar substance. Using these chemicals can present an obvious health hazard to a patient, particularly since the patient is required to wear the alignment devices 22-23 hours a day. These issues routinely cause patients to require follow-up appointments to refill a pontic space, thereby costing both patients and practitioners extra time and lost revenues, in addition to the inconvenience of needing extra appointments.
In light of the severe shortcomings of the current practice of using pontics in dental alignment devices, there is an increasing need for an improved dental alignment device that provides a means for placing an aesthetic covering in an edentulous area without introducing any other potential hazards or inconveniences.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed and presented to facilitate disclosure of some embodiments, Applicants in no way disclaim these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the attached claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.
In this specification where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge, or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is it known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.